CW by Bandlab Suddenly Not Starting- Any Repair Install Utility Available ?

[DCMG]

No recent issues at all. Opened a client project this AM, no issue. 

Came back later and CW won't open. Splash screen for 3 sec then nothing > Run As Admin doesn't work> power down system: no change > power down UA Apollo: no change>tried to run installer again but saw no prompt for a repair function.  Task Manager is not showing any running instance or an attempt to initialize. 

Not aware of any recent system changes. Other programs are fine and accessing audio device without issue.

Weird. Anyone else run into anything like this?

Any and all ideas appreciated.

 

 

 

[Bristol_Jonesey]

Did Windows do an update in your absence?

[DCMG]

33 minutes ago, Bristol_Jonesey said:

Did Windows do an update in your absence?

No; most recent is a few weeks back ( I'm not on immediate updates).

Possible clue tho: I installed Product Center to see if I could trick it into checking installation or even doing a backdoor install.

It will also not open. 

Logical next look is to see if Bitdefender has somehow flagged CW as suspicious. Not seeing that anywhere in Bitdefender's history. Might look to see if Windows has somehow flagged it as suspicious.  Long time user and I've never seen this one. 

Nuclear option is just re-install but in the middle of 4-5 client projects, you never want to do that if you can avoid.

 

[mettelus]

Try this out first, there have been recent issues with other software installing improper C++ Redistributables. If CbB will not even load, that could be a reason.

 

[DCMG]

5 hours ago, mettelus said:

Try this out first, there have been recent issues with other software installing improper C++ Redistributables. If CbB will not even load, that could be a reason.

 

OK, looking into that now. Thanks. Will update if resolved.

[sjoens]

Check Task Manager if CbB never fully closed or is running in Background Processes.  Happens here all the time and I have to log out of Windows or reboot to clear it.

You could also try End Task, but that never works here.

Edited December 10 by sjoens

[DCMG]

25 minutes ago, sjoens said:

Check Task Manager if CbB never fully closed or is running in Background Processes.  Happens here all the time and I have to log out of Windows or reboot to clear it.

You could also try End Task, but that never works here.

Rebooted numerous times. I can see CW try to start if I keep the task manager open while doing so but it does away within 2 sec. Like it's not even initializing. Tried the C++ Redistributables package refresh. No change there either. There's no "end task" to try as it's not getting to that point.

Crazy to work on a project, walk away and 2 hrs later CW just won't load. 

I am seeing "Perflib" errors in Event Viewer just prior to the first CW Error (Faulting application name: Cakewalk.exe, version: 29.9.0.120, time stamp: 0x67460249
Faulting module name: MSVCP140.dll, version: 14.29.30133.0, time stamp: 0x60ff28cc)

This is starting to smell like a fresh CW install, which is tricky with multiple projects in the air. If I bite the bullet and do it, spend a day configuring I might be on the other side of it by the evening. I can't imagine CW tech support will say anything other than "re-install" 

[Chaps]

1 hour ago, sjoens said:

Check Task Manager if CbB never fully closed or is running in Background Processes.  Happens here all the time and I have to log out of Windows or reboot to clear it.

You could also try End Task, but that never works here.

There have been times when I tried to close Cakewalk by Bandlab with the Task Manager (not recently) and End Task in the Processes Tab didn't work, but End Task in the Details Tab did work to close the program. Sometimes Cakewalk Application did not even show in the Processes Tab, but did show in the Details Tab.

[sjoens]

1 hour ago, DCMG said:

if I keep the task manager open while doing so but it does away within 2 sec

This is when it usually ends up in Background processes column which is below the Apps column.  If it's not there either then a plugin may be preventing it from opening.  Try opening in Safe Mode (hold Shift while opening) and say NO to all plugins.  If it opens then reopen it saying NO to each one at a time until you find the culprit..

[David Baay]

9 hours ago, DCMG said:

Tried the C++ Redistributables package refresh.

I think you need to do this again from a clean boot, and make sure you got the latest.. Everything is pointing to this being the cause.

[DCMG]

9 hours ago, David Baay said:

I think you need to do this again from a clean boot, and make sure you got the latest.. Everything is pointing to this being the cause.

Update: After reinstalling C++ Redistributables again, no change. Nuclear option: Reinstall CW. Removed prior install. Removed most registry entries ( there were a few still left from old plugins but I finally gave up figuring I had done most of the important ones). Clean install of CW. Guess what......problem persists. New CW install still doesn't open. 

No other programs are afflicted on the system.

Officially baffled. Time to start calling clients and telling them I'll see them in a week. Looking like this is deep. Is there any point in getting CW tech support to help with this? 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll recap all steps so far in case we solve this and others benefit:

Issue: CW Not Opening  12-9-2024
Details: 1 Hr after opening a project without issue, App won't open. No system changes, no Windows updates applied. Literally no system action known**.
1. Multiple System Reboots (also in Safe Mode)  NO CHANGE
2. CW Safe Mode  NO CHANGE
3. C++ Redistributables reinstalled to address any possible corruption. 3 Times!!-  NO CHANGE 
4. Task Manager- Attempted "End Task" but no task running. Launching program reveals a quick entry here then it leaves within 2 sec. 
5. Disable Bitdefender AV.  NO CHANGE
6. Event Log Shows "Perflib" errors just prior to the first "Faulting application" error in CW. Faulting module name: MSVCP140.dll (corrupted DLL for some reason?)
6. Command Prompt SCANNOW: "Found corrupt files and repaired"  NO CHANGE
7. Bitdefender System Scan: No issues found. Removed BITDEFENDER from system.                                                                                                                            

CW Re-install: Twice. Followed CW's official guidelines exactly.  NO CHANGE

Update: Even signed up for 3 day trial enabling me to install SONAR. After installing, same issue. 
 

Edited December 11 by DCMG

[Bristol_Jonesey]

Have you tried a Clean Install?

Quote

https://help.cakewalk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360034066393-Clean-Install-Cakewalk-by-BandLab

 

[DCMG]

1 hour ago, Bristol_Jonesey said:

Have you tried a Clean Install?

 

Twice. Followed CW guidelines exactly.  No change. 

Head scratcher.

[David Baay]

2 hours ago, DCMG said:

Clean install of CW. Guess what......problem persists

I’m not surprised. I mentioned in another thread recently that there is almost never good reason to do that.

My guess would still be be some issue with o/s or driver files or audio hardware. I would recommend renaming CW’s ini files but your clean install probably included removing them.

[Lou Storrow]

I had this same problem this morning.  Tried run as admin, updated windows 10 x64, tried the redistributable repair.  Nothing worked.  I did not do a clean install, but instead went into my downloads and ran the August CW update.  It apparently installed the prior version of CW and that got CW to start.

No idea what the problem is, but it seems to involved the Nov 30 update.

[DCMG]

18 minutes ago, Lou Storrow said:

I had this same problem this morning.  Tried run as admin, updated windows 10 x64, tried the redistributable repair.  Nothing worked.  I did not do a clean install, but instead went into my downloads and ran the August CW update.  It apparently installed the prior version of CW and that got CW to start.

No idea what the problem is, but it seems to involved the Nov 30 update.

Interesting. I'm out of ideas short of doing a fresh W11 install. I wonder if there's a way to roll back to the prior update. I'll look around their site. 

Re: the renaming trick, I did try that prior to the surgical removal/ reinstall. No change.

Just to dot my i's...I totally removed Bitdefender just in case it was interfering beyond what I could observe. I did see a blocking of some CW file on AWS ( maybe the nag screen for the subscription?). That got me looking at Bitdefender and doubling back to make sure WIndows Security wasn't doing anything.  So Bitdefender and Win Sec totally out of the way...NO CHANGE. 

Crazy.

[sjoens]

31 minutes ago, DCMG said:

I wonder if there's a way to roll back to the prior update.

Windows or CbB?  For CbB, probably not unless you saved it when it was downloaded.  I'm still on it for that reason.  Support might send a link.  FWIW Win 11 gave me nothing but trouble, brand new system... total chaos.  Took a year of updates to get it mostly settled.

[sjoens]

Too late now but, did you try a system reset to earlier date?  I would have uninstalled the apps installed just before the trouble began.

[DCMG]

15 minutes ago, sjoens said:

Too late now but, did you try a system reset to earlier date?  I would have uninstalled the apps installed just before the trouble began.

My W11 system has been rock solid for over a year, no issues.  

I did look at System Restore with a 12-3-24 date (Windows Update). Literally nothing else has been installed before this happened, other than that 12-3 Win update and I saw no overt signs of issue. Probably ran 5 client sessions since then and hours of editing. Nothing unusual. 

I began that Restore and it flagged my Antivirus so it said it couldn't be done. I went other directions but at this point if I'm looking at a wholesale reimage of Windows I guess I have nothing to lose for trying the restore point. 

I've cancelled sessions so I guess I have time to experiment now 😄

[Graysbike]

I'm having the same problem.  Any news on how to fix it? Many thanks